Lieu-Dit, 2019 Cabernet Franc, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Launched in 2011 by Santa Barbara native Justin Willett of Tyler Winery and his long time friend Eric Railsback, the project focuses on Loire varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne, and Cabernet Franc. And Justin's affinity for these varieties really follows much of the reason why I and so many other people have gravitated to the Loire is because with increasing price of Burgundy, Rhône, Northern Italy, etc, the wines of the Loire offer immense drinking pleasure and great value as well.
So this wine is taking us to Southern California, more specifically the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. This region in California is actually better known for producing pinot noir and chardonnay, there is about 5500 (2225ha) and 4700 acres (1900ha) of pinot and chard respectively. And what is the Cabernet Franc picture like here? Well there's not a lot planted, currently only about 108 acres (44ha) planted. But I've had the chance to taste a few Cabernet Francs from this region, and I think it is possibly one of the most exciting places for the grape in California.
For those that aren't familiar with the microclimate here in the Santa Ynez Valley, at first glance one would think that it is going to be too warm for varieties like Cabernet Franc. And indeed, we are quite far south, we're just about 100 miles or around 170km northwest of Los Angeles, at around 34N latitude. If we look to the other side of the Atlantic, that would put us in northern Africa, specifically parts of northern Morocco and Tunisia. But here in this part of California we see a change in the topographic landscape, which has a major impact on the region's microclimate.
Following much of the coast of California are these Coastal Mountain ranges that run north to south, which help to block out the influence of the Pacific Ocean, but in this part of southern California, this coastal range ends and the Transverse Ranges begin. These Transverse Ranges begin at Point Conception and stretch east about 500km inland, and what is important to note about these mountains is their orientation is east-west, rather than north to south.
This creates a series of valleys, like the Santa Ynez Valley, that follow this orientation and leave them exposed to the cold influence of the Pacific Ocean to the west, making this area significantly cooler than parts of northern California. The Santa Ynez Valley can be divided into 4 sub-AVAs, with the Santa Rita Hills being the furthest west and most heavily impacted by the influence of the ocean, and as you move inland, they say you gain about a degree of temperature for every mile or so you move inland. So while the Santa Rita Hills are best for growing varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, when you reach the Happy Canyon sub-AVA further inland, where the vineyards are for this wine, it is warm enough for Bordeaux varieties.
As you move inland as well, there is a wider diurnal range in temperatures. So during the daytime, it can get into the mid 30s in terms of celsius, but the evenings will cool down to 10 or so degrees, helping to slow ripening and preserve acidities. Finally, we have to remember that we are quite far south, we're much closer to the equator, which means the sunlight is more intense, but because the days are shorter than they are at more northerly latitudes, the grapes accumulate sugars a little more slowly.
So, as mentioned, the vineyards for this wine are located in the Happy Canyon sub-AVA, so we're about 55km inland from the Pacific Ocean, so there is an influence from the Ocean, but it is not as significant of an influence as it is further west. We are at a moderate elevations of 213 to 275m, or about 700 to 900 feet. There are two different blocks of Cabernet Franc that go into this wine. One block of about 4.2 acres planted in 1998 on a more western exposures, and a second block of about 6 acres planted in 2015 by massale selection on its on rootstock, that has a bit more of a southwest exposure. The vineyards are also quite close to the Santa Ynez River, which also provides a cooling influence as well.
In terms of soils, there is a light, sandy loam topsoil of about 50cm, there is a clay subsoil of about 70cm and then there is a gravelly clay below that. And these clays in the subsoil are hugely important for a grape variety like Cabernet Franc, which doesn't tolerate drought stress very well, so the clay will help to retain moisture and it is also a cooler soil as well.
In terms of winemaking, the fruit was hand-harvested, with the majority being destemmed, but left whole berry rather than crushed. They are working with some whole cluster as well, this vintage was around 50% whole cluster. Fermentation is with indigenous yeast in a combination of open-top stainless steel and oak, they do light some pump overs during the active fermentation, and the wine stays on skins for about 2 weeks. The wine then ages in 10 year old French oak barrels for about 7 to 8 months before bottling.
Key wine facts below:
Producer: Lieu-Dit
Region: Central Coast, California
AVA: Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Vineyard Location: Happy Canyon sub-AVA
Soil: Positas Fine Sandy Loam (50cm), sub-soils clay (70cm) and gravelly clay
Alcohol: 13.0%
